


The Very Specific Mistletoe

by GingerFerret



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, M/M, Mischievous Mistletoe, Mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 17:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerFerret/pseuds/GingerFerret
Summary: As the snow starts to fall around the grounds of Hogwarts, reports about a mischievous sprig of mistletoe reach the professors. As things progress, Harry and Malfoy find themselves a target of the obnoxious plant.





	The Very Specific Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a very fluffy Christmas story that wanted out. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> And remember: kudos and comments make my world a happier place :)

It started as soon as the first snow began to fall like soft, white feathers all around the grounds of Hogwarts. Hagrid could be seen dragging huge fir trees towards the castle, their light dusting of snow melting as they were placed along the walls of the Great Hall, ready to be decorated with colorful baubles and giggling fairies. 

A couple of the younger students claimed to have been trapped underneath a sprig of mistletoe which sprang out on them at the top of the stairs to the main entrance of the castle, refusing to release them until they had thrown a snowball each at Professor Flitwick, who was occupied with directing long, thick garlands of deep green fir to the top of the doorway. As a result, the slight man had toppled backwards and rolled down the stairs - earning the students a deduction of house points and a detention with the disgruntled professor. They had protested in screeching, outraged voices, claiming that the mistletoe _told them to do it_ , and were warned that any more nonsense would earn them further loss of house points. 

As the day went on, however, more reports of a sneaky sprig of mistletoe reached the teachers of Hogwarts, and by the time dinner rolled around, the castle was buzzing with rumors of things pairs of students had apparently been forced to do. Some of the rumors were downright scandalous, and as a result Headmistress McGonagall had decided to put a stop to it. Before pudding appeared around the tables, she tapped her water goblet with her wand and rose from her chair. The Hall fell silent. 

"As I am sure you are all well aware, there seems to be a rogue sprig of mistletoe roaming the halls of the school. As such that wouldn't be a problem, however, the _nature_ of its requests seems to be highly exaggerated by the rumors spreading like wildfire throughout the castle." At this, the headmistress glared over the rim of her glasses at the Fifth Years at the Slytherin table, earning a ripple of giggles. "Therefore, it has been decided among the members of staff that each pair of students who are caught beneath the mistletoe are to report to a professor where the ambush took place, what _exactly_ the sprig required, and how the demand was executed. We will then decide whether the nature of its intentions are mostly benign...or whether to hunt it down and destroy it."

A murmur of voices speaking all at once, followed McGonagall's statement. Most students had yet to be caught unaware by the mischievous mistletoe, and some of them were very nervous at the thought of having to do unsavory things in order to be released from its magical grasp. The hum emerging from the Slytherin table, however, sounded more exited than apprehensive. 

Harry hadn't been caught by the mistletoe yet, but he had listened with interest earlier that day as a pleased Neville had regaled the other Gryffindor Eighth Year boys with the tale of how the sprig had commanded him to kiss Hannah Abbott's cheek, when the two of them had crossed paths in the Charms corridor. Of course, some of the rumors floating around would lead one to believe that the mistletoe wasn't always in the mood for innocent displays of Christmas cheer. But whether or not those were merely fabricated rumors remained to be seen. Therefore, Harry wasn't in the least apprehensive about venturing on into the day. 

If only he had been a little less _Gryffindor_ about it...

 

\---

 

"Watch it, Potter!" a far too well-known voice spat in Harry's ear, as someone bumped into him when he turned a corner at high speed. He was rudely pushed backwards by a pair of hands on his chest. His back hit a wall - only there wasn't supposed to _be_ a wall behind him. He swiveled around only to bump into solid air. 

With a sense of foreboding, he looked upwards...and there was the sprig of mistletoe. He glanced at the Slytherin still standing there in front of him. The pink in his cheeks and the widening of his eyes told Harry that he too must have discovered their predicament. Harry sighed. 

"So, how do we know what it wants us to do?"

Malfoy scowled. "How am I supposed to know? I haven't been caught beneath this bloody twig before." His cheeks had regained their normal color, but his eyes were still a bit wide. Harry couldn't really blame him. Being caught beneath a sprig of mistletoe with unknown intentions with your former-enemy-turned-politely-ignored-classmate, wasn't exactly a dream come true for him either. He sighed again and looked upwards to see if there was any sign of their task to be seen on the plant. Oh. A note. Harry plucked it from amongst the white berries and read aloud:

" _Christmas is a time for giving...hugs. Put your arms around each other and count to 10._ " 

Harry felt his cheeks warm. Hugging Malfoy? No way! He looked up to see his own distaste mirrored in the pale face of the blond Slytherin. Even though, Harry thought, the terror in his eyes was a bit much. It was just a hug, after all. Malfoy seemed to think differently. With a gasp of horror he turned around and started groping at solid air. He kept going until he had made a full circle, making it obvious that they were indeed caught in a tall cylinder of impenetrable...air. 

Harry scratched the back of his neck, not entirely sure how to handle a panicking Malfoy. He would have expected anger, disdain, and a certain amount of arguing, but his fear was unexpected. "Uh, Malfoy... Are you alright...?" The blond was still breathing rapidly, his back pressed against the invisible barrier, and his eyes wider than Harry had ever seen them. It was perplexing. "Maybe we should just get it over with? So we can get out of here..?" Harry tried. That seemed to stir Malfoy a bit in his trance. His shoulders relaxed marginally, as if Harry's words reminded him that they would actually be released after performing their task. 

Taking a deep breath, Harry held out his arms for Malfoy, noting that the blond's cheeks remained unnaturally pale while his own were sure to be bright red, judging from heat suffusing them. After a few moments, where Harry started to feel ridiculous standing there with his arms spread out, Malfoy seemed to get a hold of himself. Looking very unsure, he slowly spread out his own arms and walked towards Harry until their chests were touching. Harry, who feared that the other boy would change his mind, causing them to stay in this hellish cylinder for all eternity, quickly placed his arms around the shivering man. There. That wasn't so bad. Not willing to take any chances with the blasted mistletoe, Harry waited for Malfoy to place his arms before they started to count. After a few moments, Harry felt long arms coming to rest around his back. They were actually hugging. 

Weirdest. Feeling. Ever. 

It took a few moments before the two boys remembered that they were supposed to count to ten. By silent agreement, they counted aloud in unison. 

"1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10."

Then let go of each other immediately. Harry didn't even have time to comment on the strangeness of the experience, before Malfoy sprinted down the hall.

Well. If _that_ never happened again, it would be too soon. 

 

\---

 

Three days later, the incoming reports about the mistletoe had caused the staff of Hogwarts to believe that its intentions were entirely benign, if somewhat mischievous, and it had been decided to allow it to continue to roam the halls. 

Harry had been forced to sing Good King Wenceslas with Theo Nott when they had attempted to pass each other in the entrance hall. They had both initially been rather reluctant, attempting to mumble the verses instead of singing them, but it had soon become clear that the mistletoe wasn't having it. Harry then decided to make the best of it, and by the end of the last verse, the whole hall was bellowing along with them. He and Nott took a bow to the cheering crowd, and the Slytherin smirked and held out his hand for Harry to shake. It had been a rather merry spectacle. 

Neville couldn't believe his own luck when he was once again caught beneath the sprig with Hannah Abbott. This time they were to hold hands for three full minutes while telling each other about their favorite Christmas traditions. Neville hadn't been able to stop grinning for the rest of the day, and rumor had it, that Hannah had been equally pleased by the encounter. Seamus whipped out his book and started collecting bets on whether the two of them would end up as a couple before Christmas. 

So, Harry was in high spirits as he went down the hill towards Hagrid's hut, dressed in his warmest winter cloak and with his Gryffindor scarf wound several times around his neck. His cap, which Hermione had knitted for him, didn't match any of his clothes, but he wore it happily anyway. The lime green, and yellow stripes did make it a bit sickening to behold, but since Harry wore it on top of his head, he didn't really care. His mittens were a nice forest green, and Molly had made them for him three years ago, so they were quite worn and a bit tatty to look at. They were Harry's favorite. But, all in all, he did look a bit funny in his winter ensemble. 

The only one who seemed to care, however, was Malfoy. And really, he should have known better, but perhaps he thought they would be safe since they were out on the grounds and not inside the castle.

He _should_ have known better. 

Harry saw the smirk on his face from a long distance away. His own clothes all matched and looked impeccable, of course. Harry almost found that equally amusing, so he may have worn a bit of a crooked smile himself when Malfoy sauntered up to him, head tilted to one side, eyes squinting. 

"Merlin, Potter! Are you trying to blind us all with that atrocity?" He shielded his eyes with one hand, his black mohair mittens looking pristine if a bit ridiculous. He smirked at Pansy and Blaise who flanked him in their own flawless outfits. Harry smiled innocently. 

"At least I'm not wearing women's mittens." 

In the beat that passed before Harry's words settled within Malfoy, Pansy snorted and Blaise bit his lip in order to hold back a giggle. Then Malfoy's pale cheeks went pink, and he made the awful mistake of taking a step away from his friends and towards Harry. The effect was immediate. 

Both young men were pulled towards each other by an invisible force until they were nearly nose to nose. Gasping, they quickly took a step back, and both hit an invisible barrier. Heart racing, Harry looked upward thinking _this is not supposed to be happening_ , but before he even saw the blasted mistletoe hovering above their heads, Pansy's delighted laugh told him that, indeed, it was. How was that even possible?! 

In front of him, Malfoy had gone completely white, creating a stark contrast to his black fur hat. The rigidity of his body lent to the look of a clothed marble statue. Harry was almost amused enough to smile. Almost. 

Equally reluctant to perform any task the mistletoe had in store for them, they both just stood there for a while, eyeing each other warily. Maybe, if they stood there long enough, the mistletoe would get bored and move along... Pansy was having none of that. 

"Well, go on, boys! Let's have a show!" She laughed heartily (evilly, Harry thought, but he couldn't exactly blame her), clapping her hands, the sound muffled by her white fur mittens. 

Ostensibly tired of waiting, the mistletoe extended a twig down towards them, the dreaded piece of parchment stuck among its tiny leaves. Harry took a deep breath and reached for it. 

No. No. Nononono. _No!_

While reading the slanted words on the piece of parchment over and over again, Harry felt the blood leave his face. No. That ruddy plant couldn't make them do that! His distress must have been visible to the others, because Blaise had now joined Pansy in her evil cackling, and Malfoy looked ready to faint, ripping the piece of paper from Harry's trembling hands. 

Much to Harry's surprise, though, Malfoy didn't do a repeat performance of their last encounter. He didn't attempt a panicked escape. Instead, he sighed heavily and took a step closer to Harry. 

"Well, Potter," he drawled, "we may as well get this over with." 

Harry didn't even have time to react, before Malfoy bracketed Harry's face with his, admittedly very soft, mohair mittens, and pressed his lips to Harry's. 

Astonishingly, they were even softer than the mittens. And warm. And...moving... Harry also didn't have time to decide whether or not to move his own lips, before he felt the tip of a soft, wet tongue trailing across his bottom lip, and by then it was too late to stop the small groan that escaped his throat. The sound did seem to startle Malfoy back into reality. With a gasp, he jumped back - and landed on his skinny arse in the snow, since the barrier had disappeared sometime during their kiss. 

Harry felt a buzzing in his ears and a tingle on his lips. Illogically, he reached up to feel if they were still there. At this point, Pansy practically howled with glee, and Harry idly thought that Malfoy had really shitty friends. But then, inexplicably, she wrapped her arms around a snow-covered Malfoy, who had just been pulled to his feet by a grinning Blaise, and kissed his cheek with a smile almost brilliant enough to light up the grounds. 

Malfoy himself looked uncharacteristically sheepish, but underneath the embarrassment, Harry caught a glimpse of something that looked like...happiness? Surely, he must be mistaken. 

As he fled down the hill towards the safety of Hagrid's house, Harry kept feeling the slight tingle Malfoy's lips had left behind on his own. 

 

\---

 

"It was amazing, mate! Goyle had to twirl Seamus five times 'round the entrance hall. I nearly chocked laughing!" 

Ron did sound exuberantly gleeful as he guffawed, red in the face and slapping his own thighs repeatedly. Seamus, on the other hand, looked decidedly grumpy, sitting with his arms folded tightly over his chest and his feet tucked under his bum. Harry couldn't resist. 

"Oi, Seamus. Where's your little book? I'd like to put down a few Galleons on you and Goyle ending up togeth- " Harry was rudely interrupted by a well-aimed pillow to his face while the common room roared with laughter. Seamus had been a right pain in the arse with all his little bets lately, and it was commonly acknowledged that he needed to be put in his place. This was the perfect opportunity. Dean and Neville grabbed each other and started dancing in circles around Seamus, who looked even grumpier and attempted to sink further into the cushions. Even Hermione joined in the fun. Harry suspected that Seamus' relentless teasing, after she had to kiss a smug fifth year Ravenclaw boy in the Great Hall the day before, had something to do with it. 

Harry himself had been able to avoid bumping into Malfoy for four days. One time, he got caught with Hermione, but, luckily, they were only to wish a merry Christmas to everyone passing them for five minutes, before they were released. Ron had been a bit unlucky, as the cheeky mistletoe had snuck up on him whilst in conversation with headmistress McGonagall. A kiss on the cheek ensued after the professor had attempted to blast the sprig to no avail. Seamus had been taking bets like mad after that one. 

But, all in all, Harry felt that the worst must be over for him. Having to hug and kiss (he still shuddered slightly thinking about that kiss, but whether from disgust or...something else...he wasn't quite sure. Better leave it alone) Malfoy had to be the most evil thing that twig could come up with. 

Oh, how naive and innocent Harry was...

 

\---

 

After breakfast on a particularly lovely Saturday, Harry decided to go to Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione. Eighth Years were allowed to go there as often as they liked on the weekends, and the three of them had always loved Hogsmeade in the winter. Especially around Christmas. They reached _Coffee & Cream_ with pink cheeks and bright eyes and sat down at a table with a lovely view of the main street. They chatted and looked out on the people bustling by in the snow, while enjoying their cinnamon flavored coffee and a wide selection of Christmas biscuits in the shapes of bows and stars. It was just like old times, and Harry felt truly happy for the first time in far too long. 

Then the doorbell jangled. 

He should have known that avoiding Malfoy was a lost cause. They hadn't been able to avoid each other for seven years - why would they suddenly succeed now just because an insane plant was wreaking havoc on their peace of mind? 

Harry knew the precise moment Malfoy spotted him. First, he stiffened. Then, he looked a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights of uncle Vernon's car once. After a few seconds, he attempted to take a step back towards the door...and was propelled with surprising speed into Harry's personal space. On reflex, Harry stood up and caught him by the shoulders. They swayed together on the spot for a bit, before Malfoy sniffed haughtily and reached up above his head without even glancing at the mistletoe hovering there. He cleared his throat and looked down on the piece of parchment - then began to sway dangerously again. For a moment, Harry thought he was about to faint and reached out to support him by holding his upper arms in a firm grip. Malfoy apparently took this as invitation. With a swift and rather suave movement he grabbed Harry's face (this time without the mohair mittens, and Harry found that he preferred the feel of Malfoy's skin on his own - then was startled to even think such a thing) and pulled him impossibly close, before slanting his lips and pressing them against Harry's mouth with a determination that made Harry feel lightheaded. 

This seemed oddly familiar. Was the mistletoe really that uninventive? 

Then, the kiss changed. One of Malfoy's hands wound its way into Harry's hair, while the other rested on his hip. Harry's own hands had, quite without his permission, planted themselves on Malfoy's surprisingly toned back, which meant that Harry's _arms_ were wound tightly around Malfoy's slender body. 

Harry had no idea how it happened, but, suddenly, his lips parted, allowing Malfoy's tongue to enter his mouth. The effect was immediate. The feel of that hot, wet muscle licking its way to untouched corners of Harry's mouth, drove him wild. He didn't even try to stop the groan that reverberated through him, eliciting shocked gasps from around them. Harry paid attention to no one but Malfoy and the exquisite fight their tongues were having. He felt Malfoy's hands roam his body, leaving a blazing trail in their wake. Harry held on to every bit of Malfoy he could reach, squeezing and pressing against him without much finesse but with great enthusiasm. He could have gone on forever if not for the blasted need for oxygen. 

The cafe was eerily quiet when they finally broke apart. The only sound was that of their own heavy breathing. Harry's lips were tender in a most wonderful way. Then the whole place broke into cheering applause and catcalls, and Harry didn't get a chance to glance at Malfoy to gauge his reaction before the Slytherin had sprinted out the door, followed by whistles and unmistakable shouts of _loverboy_. 

As the noise of the crowd lowered to a more normal level, Harry dared a first glance at his two best friends. He had half expected to find Hermione aiding a fainted Ron, but, to his utmost surprise, they both sat in their chairs with smug smiles on their faces. Harry was still too shaken by the passionate kiss (and more so his own enthusiasm) to do anything more than sit down heavily in his squishy armchair. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed Hermione slide the forgotten piece of parchment across the table to him. She must have snatched it up during his and Malfoy's...dare. Harry unfolded it. Then _he_ felt ready to faint. The words were simple, but what they had led to, was unbelievable. 

_Your third challenge is to be of your own choice. Make it good._. 

Harry whipped out the Marauders Map and ran out the door. 

 

\---

 

Malfoy was standing in the light snowfall by the Shrieking Shack. A lone, dark figure against the white winter backdrop. Harry allowed himself a moment to admire his tall and slender frame before he pulled back the hood of his invisibility cloak. Malfoy startled, then attempted a smirk. 

"This seems oddly familiar." 

Harry couldn't help a small smile at the memory. He let the cloak slip off his shoulders and took a step closer towards Malfoy. Grey eyes met green, and for a moment it seemed as if even the snow, falling all around them, slowed down. 

And then, Harry saw it. The softness there, in those silvery eyes. That was new. It made a warm shiver run down Harry's spine. He took another step closer. Then another. When Malfoy made no attempt to move away, holding Harry's gaze steadily, Harry closed the remaining distance between them, deliberately ending up a little too close. 

Malfoy didn't move. 

This close up, Malfoy's eyes were warm yet wary. Harry wanted to chase the insecurity away. 

"I was just wondering if, maybe....perhaps..."

Harry trailed off. This was by far the scariest situation he had ever found himself in. He was also the most determined he had ever been. So, he took a deep breath and continued. 

"I was wondering if you would allow me to also make a go at our... _third challenge_...?" He raised an eyebrow teasingly. Malfoy's cheeks pinked slightly, but his gaze was unwavering. Harry's heart beat fast, as he took the very last step between them. 

It was easier this time. Harry knew what he wanted - and knowing that Malfoy wanted the same thing, made Harry feel more confident. He wrapped his arms around Malfoy's waist and pulled him close. Long, slender arms encircled Harry, and, when their lips met, it was with a feeling of happy recognition. Harry felt Malfoy melt against him, and before he completely lost himself in the feeling of _Malfoy_ , he sent a kind thought to the mischievous mistletoe. 

The snowfall picked up speed, whirling around them in a merry flight. None of them noticed. 

 

**End**


End file.
